1. They're vs. Their vs. There

One's a contraction for "they are" (they're), one refers to something owned by a group (there), and one refers to a place (there). You know the difference among the three -- just make sure you triple check that you're using the right ones in the right places at the right times.

I find it's helpful to search through my posts (try control + F on PC or command + F on Mac) for those words and check that they're being used in the right context. Here's the correct usage of "they're," "there," and "their":

They're going to love going there -- I heard their food is the best!

2. You vs. You're

The difference between these two is owning something versus actually being something:

You made it around the track in under a minute -- you're fast!

How's your fast going? Are you getting hungry?

See the difference? "You" is possessive and "you're" is a contraction of "you are."

Again, if you're having trouble keeping them straight, try doing another grammar check before you hit publish.

3. It's vs. It's

This one tends to confuse even the best of writers. "It's" is possessive and "it's" is a contraction of "it is." Lots of people get tripped up because "it's" has an 's after it, which normally means something is possessive. But in this case, it's actually a contraction.

Do a control + F to find this mistake in your writing. It's really hard to catch on your own, but it's a mistake everyone can make.

4. Incomplete Comparisons

This one drives me up a wall when I see it in the wild. Can you see what's wrong with this sentence?

Our car model is faster, better, stronger.

Faster, better, stronger ... than what? What are you comparing your car to? A horse? A competitor's car? An older model?

When you're asserting that something should be compared to something else, make sure you always clarify what that something else is. Otherwise, it's impossible for your readers to discern what the comparison actually means.

5. Passive Voice

If you have a sentence with an object in it -- basically a noun that receives the action -- passive voice can happen to you. Passive happens when the object of a sentence is put at the beginning of a sentence instead of at the end. With passive voice, your writing comes across as sounding weak and unclear.

Hold up. Re-read that last paragraph I just wrote:

"... Passive happens when the object of a sentence is put at the beginning of a sentence instead of at the end ..."

There's way too much passive voice. See how the sentence doesn't have a subject that's acting upon the object? The object is mysteriously being "put at the beginning," making the sentence sound vague and clunky.

Passive voice happens when you have an object (a noun that receives the action) as the subject of a sentence. Normally, the object of the sentence appears at the end, following a verb. Passive writing isn't as clear as active writing -- your readers will thank you for your attention to detail later.

Let's try that again, using active voice:

Passive happens when the writer puts the object of a sentence at the beginning, instead of at the end.

In this example, the sentence correctly uses a subject, "the writer," to actively describe the object.

Make sense? It's kind of complicated thing to describe, but active voice makes your writing seem more alive and clear. Want to get into the nitty-gritty of avoiding passive voice? Check out this tip from Grammar Girl.(